View full sizeCanadian Mounted PoliceWarren Sill, 26, has been missing since July 5. He is believed to have ventured into the British Columbia wilderness in search of an elusive subspecies of black bear.

Last month, 26-year-old Warren Sill packed his SUV with camera equipment and camping gear and headed West, destined for the wilderness of British Columbia, where he hoped to track and capture on film a rare subspecies of black bear.

But the outdoor enthusiast and budding filmmaker from North Ridgeville, who had devoted a Facebook page to documenting his journey, has not been seen or heard from since July 5.

And authorities in New Hazelton — the Canadiandistrict in which Sill is believed to have ventured — have spent the past five days combing the dense and potentially perilous forest, hoping to bring Sill to safety.

Constable Lesley Smith, a spokeswoman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said Tuesday that police received a complaint about a vehicle that had been abandoned for days near the head of a challenging hiking trail.

Police learned from Sill’s parents that he had planned to spend several days in the area gathering footage of the elusive Kermode bear, or "spirit bear," a subspecies of black bear with an entirely white coat. Only about 100 are believed to exist — most along the coast of British Columbia, according to the North American Bear Center in Minnesota.

Police grew concerned when they discovered during a search of Sill’s vehicle that he had left behind his tent, sleeping bag and camp stove, Smith said. And when investigators learned that Sill is not a seasoned outdoorsman with advanced survival skills, a search party was deployed, including rescue workers in helicopters and on foot.

As of Tuesday, Smith said, the aerial search has ended because the efforts have extended into a region too dense to see beyond the forest canopy. River boats have been deployed, however, and forest firefighters have been flown into the higher regions. There, trees will be clear-cut to create a helicopter landing pad for the delivery of tools and supplies to further the search, Smith said.

Although numerous lost hikers have survived their ordeals in the British Columbia wilderness, Smith said, the region’s hazards are great. The forest is dense, with two creeks running far below areas of a trail that increases in grade before it joins the Seven Sisters Provincial Park — a vast wooded area of trails, Smith said.

The region also is known for its cougar and bear population, she said.

Sill’s sister, Maureen, said in an interview Tuesday that her brother stayed with her in Chicago for five days in June on his way Westward.

He had been planning the trip for about eight months, researching the British Columbia wilderness, camping, survival skills and how to find edible plants in the area, she said. He planned to visit the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Minnesota and stop in Glacier National Park to hike and camp before heading to his final destination.

"He told me he loved it, and it was awesome, and he sent photos," Maureen Sill said.

On his Facebook page, Warren Sill had begun sharing photos and a short video he shot during his journey.

On June 8, he posted a photo of a black bear at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

"First of many black bear photos," read the caption. "Baby steps."

A later photo, posted on June 19, depicts a black bear from an aerial view, along with the caption: "600 lb male black bear sending me up a tree haha."

It’s unclear where the photo was taken or whether Sill used a zoom lens that created the illusion that some of his photos were shot within close proximity to the bears.

Some media accounts of Sill’s disappearance have drawn parallels between his documentary project and that of Timothy Treadwell, an environmentalist and amateur film maker who spent 13 summers living among the grizzly bear population in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. In 2003, he and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were killed and partially eaten by one of the bears they were observing.

Treadwell’s work was the subject of a 2005 documentary film called Grizzly Man.

Maureen Sill would not comment on the comparison between Treadwell and her brother.

But Nicholas Volchko, 26, a longtime friend of Warren Sill, said in an interview Tuesday that Sill openly discussed the Treadwell case with friends and family at his going away party in May. He assured them that his intentions were nothing like Treadwell’s — that he had carefully plotted his course, would stay in the wilderness for only a few days at a stretch and planned to use guides on his excursions when possible, Volchko said.

Volchko added that comparing Sill to Treadwell is off base.

Unlike Treadwell, who withdrew from society to live among bears, Sill was an outgoing and involved student at Elyria Catholic High School and Kent State University, where he joined a fraternity and became active in student government, Volchko said.

"You couldn’t walk two blocks without somebody saying, ‘hi’ to him," Volchko said about visiting his friend on the Kent State campus. "He was always trying new things, always meeting new people, and he stayed in contact with so many of his friends and acquaintances.... Warren, is very outgoing and adventurous. But he is also very organized and has a good head on his shoulders."

Volchko said Sill is passionate about all of his pursuits, but has always taken a special interest in animals and wildlife. He was a Boy Scout for years, Volchko said. And as a teenager, Sill frequently visited area zoos and told friends he wanted to become a monkey trainer.

Sill was eagerly anticipating his trip at the send-off party his parents threw for him at their North Ridgeville home, Volchko said. There, he talked about his investment in high quality cameras and his plan to craft an educational documentary that would highlight the rare bear.

Volchko said he is unaware of what led to Sill’s most recent interest in the elusive spirit bear or the wilds of British Columbia.

But on his Facebook page, Sill seems to answer that question himself, drawing upon the words of conservationist and "Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin, who, like Treadwell, died while observing the wildlife that captivated him.

"I think my path would have always gone back to or delivered me to wildlife," Sill wrote, quoting Irwin. "I think wildlife is just like a magnet. And it’s something that I can’t help."

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